Labelling machines

ABSTRACT

A labelling machine suitable for labelling slab-like objects such as magnetic tape cartridges, comprising at least one holder which is cyclically movable between at least three operating stations in turn, so as to pick up an adhesive label from a stack by suction at a first operating station, the adhesive on the label being activated at a second operating station and then applied to the narrow face of a slab-like object which is held adjacent the first holder at a third operating station by a second holder. The second holder is movable between a first position in which slab like objects are fed into it by a feeding mechanism, and a second position in which an activated label can be applied to the narrow face of a slab-like object within the second holder. After a label has been applied to a slab-like object, the object is ejected from the second holder through a resilient gate so that the sides of the gate press the label over two opposite broad faces of the object.

United States Patent [191 Jones et a1.

[4 1 Sept. 9, 1975 1 LABELLING MACHINES [75] Inventors: William LeslieJones; Malcolm James Peter Banks, both of Bridgnorth, England [52] US.Cl. 156/216; 156/221; 156/320; 156/364; 156/483; 156/489; 156/497;

156/499; 156/567; 156/571; 156/DIG. 4;

l56/DIG. 27; l56/DIG. 31; l56/DIG. 40

[51] Int. Cl. 865C l/06; B65C 9/06; B65C 9/14 [58] Field of Search156/212, 227, 363, 364, 156/475, 483, 484, 489, 499, 497, 556, 566,

567, 571, 216, 221, 320, DIG 4, DIG. 27,

DIG. 31, DlG. 4O

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,161,469 6/1939 I-lolm156/571 2,384,241 9/1945 Elsner 271/26 2,391,694 12/1945 Everett...156/364 2,503,799 4/1950 Carter 156/566 2,613,007 10/1952 Von Hofe156/499 2,676,726 4/1954 Von Hofe 216/62 2,952,376 9/1960 Orloff 156/4973,291,675 12/1966 Orloff ct al. 156/499 3,464,871 9/1969 Smith 1 156/603,713,949 1/1973 Pinter..... 156/566 3,748,210 7/1973 Beutl 156/5673,779,829 12/1973 Wolfi'.. 156/475 3,783,076 l/1974 Wetzig 156/556FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,81 1,159 6/1970 Germany 1,486,1 l84/1969 Germany 1,142,130 l/l963 Germany 651,657 9/1937 Germany 37,4185/1912 Sweden 17,892 10/ 1 903 Sweden 557,484 1923 France 1,228,6194/1971 United Kingdom 942,830 1 H1963 United Kingdom 931,753 7/1963United Kingdom 805,481 12/1958 United Kingdom 419,060 10/1934 UnitedKingdom 377,807 8/1932 United Kingdom 366,570 2/1932 United KingdomPrimary ExaminerCharles E. Van Horn Attorney, Agent, or FirmEdward F.Connors [5 7] ABSTRACT A labelling machine suitable for labellingslab-like objects such as magnetic tape cartridges, comprising at leastone holder which is cyclically movable between at least three operatingstations in turn, so as to pick up an adhesive label from a stack bysuction at a first operating station, the adhesive on the label beingactivated at a second operating station and then applied to the narrowface of a slab-like object which is held adjacent the first holder at athird operating station by a second holder. The second holder is movablebetween a first position in which slab like objects are fed into it by afeeding mechanism, and a second position in which an activated label canbe applied to the narrow face of a slab-like object within the secondholder. After a label has been applied to a slab-like object, the objectis ejected from the second holder through a resilient gate so that thesides of the gate press the label over two opposite broad faces of theobject.

11 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED 9975 3,904,466

' SHEET 1 nr 5 PMEMEB 9% sum 3 OF 5 I FROM VACUUM PUMP LABELLINGMACHINES This invention relates to labelling machines for applyingadhesive labels to slab-like objects, for example magnetic tapecontainers such as cartridges.

Machines for the application of an adhesive label to the broad face onlyof each of a succession of objects are well known. The present inventionconcerns a machine by which a single label can be applied to an objectso that it extends from one broad face round an end or narrow face to asecond broad face opposite the first.

According to the present invention, there is provided a labellingmachine comprising at least one cyclically movable first holder; meansfor cyclically moving the first holder in steps between at least threeoperating stations in turn, a first of the operating stations havingmeans for supporting adhesive labels in a stack; means for causing alabel from the stack to be picked up by suction by the first holder; asecond operating station having means for activating adhesive on thelabel; and a third station comprising a feeding mechanism and a pivotedsecond holder movable between a first position wherein the second holdercan receive slab-like objects one at a time from the feeding mechanism,and a second position wherein a narrow face of a slab-like objectcontained within the second holder is adjacent an adhesive side of thelabel in the first holder, means for relatively moving the first holderand the second holder when the second holder is in its first position tocause the label in the first holder to adhere to the narrow face of theobject in the second holder, and a resilient gate, the feeding mechanismincluding means for ejecting an object from the second holder throughthe gate so that the sides of the gate press the label over two oppositebroad faces of the object.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the or each first holder iscarried by a rotatable arm, the means for cyclically moving the firstholder being arranged to rotate the arm in steps so as to bring thefirst holder adjacent each operating station in turn.

The means for relatively moving the first and second holders maycomprise means for moving the first holder and arm bodily along the axisof rotation of the arm.

Preferably, the resilient gate comprises a pair of resiliently mountedrollers.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for activatingadhesive on the label comprises a heater having a radiant heatingelement, means being provided to direct a blast of air past the heatingelement towards the adhesive side of the label held by the first holderwhen the first holder is at the second station. The heater may alsoinclude a second radiant heating element arranged for fine temperaturecontrol.

Preferably, also, a sensor is provided at the third station for sensingthe presence of an object at the input of the feeding mechanism so as toinitiate a labelling cycle.

In order that the operation of the machine is automatic, pneumaticcircuitry is provided to automatically control the movement of the firstholder and the operation of each operating station.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodof labelling slab-like objects comprising the steps of moving a firstholder to a first station to pick up a label from a stack by means ofsuction,

moving the first holder and label to a second station, activatingadhesive to one side of the label, moving the first holder and activatedlabel to a third station, allowing the label to adhere to the narrowface of a slab-like object held adjacent the label at the third station,and returning the first holder to the first station to pick up anotherlabel, the slab-like object with the label attached being ejected fromthe third station through a resilient gate which causes the label toadhere to two opposite broad faces of the object.

Preferably, the first holder is cyclically moved in a circular path fromone station to another, and is lowered at each station before eachoperation and raised after each operation before being moved to the nextstation.

The object may be fed into a second holder, the second holder then beingpivoted from a first position wherein it receives the object to a secondposition wherein the narrow face of the object is adjacent the firstholder as it reaches the third station in order that the label may beallowed to adhere to the narrow face of the object, the second holdercontaining the object and attached label being returned to its firstposition so as to receive another cartridge as the labelled cartridge isejected through the resilient gate. The adhesive on the label ispreferably activated by heating at the second station.

Reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings whichillustrate one embodiment of the invention, and of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cartridge labelling machine, having alabel feed station, a heater station, and a cartridge labelling station;

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically the label feed station of the cartridgelabelling machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically the heater station of the cartridgelabelling machine of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show diagrammatic elevational views of the cartridgelabelling station of the cartridge labelling machine of FIG. 1, invarious stages of operation;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic elevational view of part of the cartridgelabelling machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the part of the cartridge labellingmachine shown in FIG. 6, taken along the line 77; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 show diagrammatically the pneumatic circuit forcontrolling the cartridge labelling machine.

Referring to FIG. 1, a cartridge labelling machine is provided with arotor assembly 1, which has a hollow vertical rotatable shaft 2 withhollow arms 3 and 4 fixed to its upper end in order to form a tee piece.The outer end of each of the arms 3 and 4, is provided with a labelholder 5 and 6 respectively. The rotor assembly is arranged to beintermittently rotated through in an anti-clockwise direction as seen inFIG. 1, in order that each holder 5 and 6 is cyclically traversedthrough four operating stations, namely a label feed station 7, a heaterstation 8, a rest station and a cartridge labelling station 9. The arms3 and 4 are provided at their outer ends with a lug 10 or 11respectively, the lugs being each provided with an aligning hole which,when the rotor is in the correct position, accommodates an aligning rod12 or 13 located at the label feed station '7 and the cartridgelabelling station 9 respectively, to ensure correct positioning of therotor assembly before each operation as hereinafter described. Thealignment of the mechanism at the cartridge feed station with respect tothe rotor assembly may be adjusted by means of screws 25, that of themechanism at the label feed station by other adjusting screws (notshown).

Although the rotor assembly shown is provided with two arms 3 and 4 eachhaving a holder 5 or 6 respectively, any number of arms may be used, thenumber determining the arrangement of the various stations and the anglethrough which the rotor assembly moves during each period of rotation.

After each 90 rotation, the rotor assembly is lowered by about one inch,preferably dropping under its own weight. Thus the holder 5, for exampleis lowered when located above the label feed 7 station so as to pick upa label by means of suction applied through the hollow shaft 2 and arm3, and then raised. The rotor assembly then rotates through 90 andlowers the holder 5 containing the label over the heater station 8 toactivate the adhesive on the label, as hereinafter described and israised again. After a second 90 movement, the holder 5 and activatedlabel are lowered in the rest station 9, which is opposite the labelfeed station 7, and are raised again to execute a third 90 rotation soas to be located at the cartridge feed station 10, which is opposite theheater station 8. The holder 5 is lowered to bring the activated labelinto contact with the narrow end of a cartridge which is held narrow enduppermost in this station as hereinafter described. The label isreleased by vacuum induced in the arm 3 being relieved as flap 17 on arm3 is raised on contact with a peg 26 at the cartridge feed station. Thelabel sticks to the cartridge and the empty holder 5 is raised androtated through a fourth 90 movement to return to the label feed stationfor another cycle to begin. The holder 6, being diametrically oppositethe holder 5, executes the same cycle but lags 180 behind the holder 5.A flap 18 similar to flap 17 is provided on arm 4 for easy release of alabel at station 9.

The label feed station, shown also in FIG. 2, comprises apparatusarranged to support a stack of labels 14 on a movable platform 15 whichmay be raised or lowered by means of pneumatic cylinder 16 which iscontrolled by a switch S9 via a line 19. When the rotor assembly reachesthe label feed station, in order to pick up a label it is lowered untilthe holder 5 or 6 contacts the top of the stack. As each label isremoved from the top of the stack during the operation of the machine,the distance through which the rotor must be lowered increases graduallyuntil the arm whose holder is at this station contacts and closes switchS9, causing the piston of cylinder 16 to raise the platform 15. Sincethe switch S9 is only closed briefly as the arm is lowered, the timeduring which the piston of the cylinder 16 ex tends is also brief, witha result that platform 15 is only raised by a short distance each time.This short distance ensures that the top label of the stack ismaintained in a substantially constant horizontal location adjacent airjet 20, which is arranged at one side of the stack 14. The action of theair jet 20 separates the top label of the stack from the remainder inorder that the top label may be easily picked up by one of the holders 5or 6 by suction, without disturbing the rest of the stack.

In order to insert a stack of labels into the label feed station, alabel guide assembly 21 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 1about horizontal pivots 22, after a label access catch 23 has beenreleased. The apparatus may be provided with a ratchet which, unlessreleased, prevents the platform from moving downwardly. When a new stackof labels is to be placed in the apparatus, the ratchet is released toallow the platform 15 to be pushed downwardly and the new stack insertedon the top of the platform. Once the ratchet is re-engaged, and thepneumatic circuit connected, the cylinder 16 ensures that the stack israised so that the top label is located in the correct horizontal plane.The stack is restrained by series of guide rods 24.

Referring to FIG. 3 which shows the heater station in greater detail, aheater box 30 contains a coarse control heater element 31 and a finecontrol heater element 31 arranged one above the other as shown, thecontrol of the heater elements being performed by heater controlcircuitry 32 which preferably includes a thyristor arrangement (notshown) for the control of heater element 31. A grid 33 is located in theheater box 30 above the heater elements. When a butterfly valve 34located in an exhaust pipe 35 is open, the opening and closing of thevalve 34 being controlled by the retraction or extension respectively ofthe piston of a cylinder 36, air from a vacuum pump (not shown in thisFigure) is drawn through a pipe 37 and through the exhaust pipe 35 andreleased to atmosphere. When the valve is open, air is also drawn downthrough a pipe 38 through the heater box 30. When the butterfly valve 34is closed, the exhaust pipe 35 is therefore obstructed, and the aircoming into pipe 37 passes upwardly through pipe 38 and upwardly throughthe heater box. The valve is closed when a label held by one of theholders 5 or 6 is lowered over the heater box so that the label adhesivecan be activated by hot air passing upwardly through the heater box,this air having been heated twice since it is first drawn down throughthe box when the valve is open and thereafter, once the valve is closed,passes back up through the heater box and past the heater elements asecond time.

Referring to FIG. 4, in which the holder 5 is shown in section, it canbe seen that the holder 5 is an inverted shallow tray having a grid 40within it for holding a label by suction applied through the shaft 2 andthe arm 3. The holder 6 is similarly formed.

Cartridges entering the cartridge labelling station which is shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, first pass down an inclined plane over a series of freelyrotatable rollers 41. The cartridges may be placed at the top of theincline manually, or may be gravity fed by placing them inside a hopper41a (see FIG. 1). Once a cartridge reaches the bottom of the, incline,it takes up the position 42 (shown in FIG. 4) on top of the piston 43 ofa pneumatic cylinder CD. Once there, its presence is sensed by a sensor44 which is arranged as a central orifice, surrounded by a series of airjets (not shown); in thise case three air jets are used, from threeports at angular spacings of The presence of the cartridge in theposition 42 produces a back pressure in the central orifice which issensed and initiates a labelling cycle as hereinafter described. Whenthe piston 43 of cylinder CD is retracted, the cartridge falls down infront of the piston and, on subsequent extension of the piston 43 whichacts as a slider, is pushed to the right as seen in FIG. 4, to take upthe position 45 within a cartridge holder 46. The holder 46 is pivotablebetween the horizontal position seen in FIG. 4 and the vertical positionseen in FIG. 5 by means of rods 47 about a horizontal pivot 48. Movementof the holder between the horizontal and vertical positions is effectedby means of a link 49 which is actuated by a piston 50 of a pneumaticcylinder CE, the holder being raised to the vertical position as thepiston 50 is extended.

Once the holder is in the vertical position as seen in FIG. 5, thecartridge takes up the position 51 in order that a label may bedeposited on its narrow end face which now is uppermost, by the holder 5for example. Once the label is attached to the narrow end face of thecartridge, the piston 50 of cylinder CE is retracted so that thecartridge passes through the position 52 hearing a label 53 and returnsto the horizontal position 45.

Once the horizontal position 45 has been reached by the cartridge, theextension of piston 43 of the cylinder CD to push another cartridge 54into the holder 46 causes the labelled cartridge to be pushed out of theholder 46 and to pass through the position 55 as it is passed betweentwo horizontal rollers 56 and 57. The axles about which the rollers canrotate are arranged to be movable within a slot 58 in a plate 59, theaxles being connected to two pivotal arms 60 which are biased towardseach other by a spring 61. The passage of a cartridge between therollers forces them apart, the tension in the spring 61 producing asufficient return force to make the label stick on the two broad facesof the cartridge as it passes between them. The cartridge then passesout of the machine and is either collected manually or may be taken forpackaging on a conveyor.

The feed of the cartridges is continuous, as seen in FIG. 5, where thecartridge in position 54 is ready to be pushed by the piston 43 into theholder 46, a following cartridge in a position 62 resting on top of thecartridge in position 54 being ready to drop down on to the upper sideof the extended piston 43 in order that its presence may be sensed bythe sensor 44 as previously described. Following cartridges such as thatshown in the position 63, are located on the rollers 41 and take up eachposition as it is vacated.

The cartridge feed mechanism is arranged so that the arrival of theholder 5 at 6 at the cartridge feed station coincides with the arrivalof the holder 46 in the vertical position shown in FIG. 5, in order thatwhen the holder 5 or 6 drops, an activated label may be attached to thenarrow end face of a cartridge held vertically in the holder 46. As therotor assembly is subsequently raised and rotated towards the label feedstation, the holder 46 is pivoted towards its horizontal position shownin FIG. 4, arriving there at the same time as the rotor assembly arrivesat the label feed station.

Referring to FlGS. 6 and 7, which show the rotor assembly as seen fromthe fourth rest station opposite the label feed station, the shaft 2 isrotatable within bushes 70 and 71 carried by horizontal plates 72 and 73respectively. The shaft 2 is arranged to drop under its own weight tolower the rotor assembly through a short distance, preferably about 1inch, when the assembly is correctly positioned at each station. Thusthe lower end of the shaft is connected to the piston 74 of a pneumaticcylinder CB which is operable to raise the shaft again as hereinafterdescribed. The position of the shaft, ie whether it is in the upposition or in a down position, is sensed by means of switches S2 and S3respectively, these switches being arranged to be closed by means of theupper and lower sides respectively of a flange 75 which is mounted onthe lower part of the shaft 2. The switches S2 and S3 are used tocontrol parts of the pneumatic circuit for the machine, as hereinafterdescribedv Suction is applied to the holders 5 and 6 of the respectivearms 3 and 4 of the rotor assembly by means of a vacuum pump 76 via aline 77 connected to the bottom of the shaft 2. The exhaust of thevacuum pump is connected to line 36 (see FIG. 3) as hereinbeforedescribed.

The shaft is intermittently rotated by means of a swinging lever 78carrying at one end a roller 79 which is arranged to operate withinslots 80 of a modified Geneva star 81 which is mounted on the shaft 2.The lever 78 is pivoted at a point 82 to the plate 72. The pistons 83and 84 of two pneumatic cylinders CA and CS respectively are pivoted tothe lever 78 on opposite sides of the pivot point 82. These pneumaticcylinders CA and CS operate in opposition to each other so that whenpiston 83 of cylinder CA is extended, thus rotating the lever in aclockwise direction, away from the position shown in FIG. 7 through anangle of less than 90, the piston 84 of cylinder CS is caused to retractso as to produce rapid deceleration of piston 83 at the end of thestroke of piston 83, as hereinafter described. The roller 79 which bearson one side of the slot 80 in which it rests causes the shaft 2 torotate. The roller 79 is able to execute an arcuate path about pivotpoint 82 since it is able to move radially with respect to the shaft 2within the relevant slot 80. Once the shaft has been rotated through 90and drops as previously described, the cylinders CA and CS cause thelever 78 to be pivoted in an anticlockwise direction so as to return tothe position shown to engage the next slot 80 when the shaft is raisedonce more.

The action of the two cylinders CA and CS is controlled in a mannerhereinafter described to ensure fast and smooth acceleration anddeceleration of the rotor assembly by means of a switch 81, which isclosed as the lever 78 is caused to rotate in an anti-clockwisedirection to the position shown in FIG. 7, and a second switch $10 whichis closed when the anticlockwise rotation of the lever 78 is complete. Asecond lever 85 also pivoted to the point 82 and rotatable with thelever 78 is arranged to close the switch S1 as the lever 78 rotates inanticlockwise direction. A rod 86 attached to the lever 85 at a pointalong its length is arranged to close the switch $10 when theanti-clockwise rotation of the levers 78 and 85 is complete by means ofpivoted arm 87. The rod 86 is provided with a compression spring 88 andpasses through a slot 89 within the arm 87 in such a way that, as thelever 85 rotates anticlockwise, the rod 86 moves to the right withinslot 89, until it encounters the right hand extremity of slot 89 as seenin FIG. 7. The pressure of the spring 88 causes the arm 87 to rotate ina clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 7 thus closing switch S10.

As previously described, the shaft 2 drops under its own weight aftereach 90 movement once the lever 78 has completed its anticlockwise swingand is about to fly back to rotate the shaft again. As the shaft drops,and consequently the Geneva star 81 also, two rods 90 on the undersideof the Geneva star engage in two of four locating holes 91, eachassociated with one station, in the plate 73. The diameter of the holes91 is greater than that of the rods 90 so that only a coarse alignmentof the assembly is achieved. The fine alignment is performed by one ofthe lugs 10 or 11 slidably engaging a respective one of the rods 12 or13 (see FIG. 1) as previously described. Therefore, if for example dueto wear of the moving parts, the shaft rotated through an angle of onlyapproximately 90, the course alignment would ensure that the lugs 10 and11 were able to fit over the top of one of the rods 12 and 13 which arerounded off so as to slide over the rod and accurately align the rotorassembly.

When the machine is in an inoperative condition, i.e. the air supply tothe pneumatic circuitry is disconnected, and the vacuum pump is switchedoff, the rotor assembly is located above the label feed and reststations in its down position. Once the stack of labels is loaded intothe label feed mechanism and the air supply connected, the rotorassembly rises to its up position but does not rotate. At least twocartridges are fed into the cartridge feed mechanism and as the first issensed by the sensor 44 (FIG. 1) the rotor assembly is'rotated through90 and dropped to bring the holder 5, for example, over the heaterstation.

Meanwhile, the piston 43 of cylinder CE retracts, allowing the sensedfirst cartridge to fall into position 54, and the empty cartridge holderis raised to the vertical position (FIG. The rotor assembly is thenraised, rotated through 90 and dropped again to bring the holder 6 overthe top label of the label stack which by this time has risen under theinfluence of cylinder 16 (FIG. 2) to the corect horizontal plane so asto pick up the top label, the vacuum pump having been switched on. Therotor assembly is then raised. During this second rotation, the holder46 is lowered to its horizontal position and the sensed first cartridgeis pushed inside it into position 45 (FIG. 4).

Thesecond cartridge which by now is in position 42, the piston 43 ofcylinder CD having retracted, is sensed by the sensor, causing furtherrotation of the rotor assembly to bring the holder 5 over the cartridgefeed mechanism as the holder 46 is pivoted to raise the first cartridgeto the vertical position 51 (FIG. 5). The rotor assembly then drops toallow the adhesive of the label held by holder 6 to be activated at theheater station. The rotor assembly is then raised and rotated a fourthtime in order to bring the holder 5 into the label feed station, as theholder 46 lowers the first cartridge which is unlabelled to thehorizontal.

At the end of this second cycle of 180 rotation, the holder 6 carryingan activated label is in the rest station. If a third cartridge followsthe second, a third cycle of 180 movement is commenced. After the first90 movement of the rotor, the holder 6 carrying an activated label isbrought into registration with the second cartridge which has beenpushed by the piston 43 into the holder 46 and raised by the holder 46to the vertical position 51 (FIG. 5). The label is thus attached to thesecond cartridge which is ejected from the ma chine after the thirdcycle. Each cartridge after the first is labelled as it passes themachine, the first being required to start off a run.

It will be apparent that the sensing of a cartridge in position 42produces a total rotation of the rotor assembly of 180, i.e. twocartridges must be sensed in turn at the input of the cartridge feedstation for the rotor assembly to complete one revolution. The sensingof one cartridge results in the labelling of the cartridge preceding itin the run. It is to be noted that since after the cartridge of a runhas been labelled, one holder 5 or 6 of the rotor assembly still holdsan activated label whilst the last cartridge which is in position 45(FIG. 4) is unlabelled, so that if desired, the first cartridge,otherwise unlabelled, could be fed into the machine at the end of a runand thus the last cartridge labelled.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, air enters the pneumatic circuit in line andpasses through a filter 101 and a regulator 102 in which it is regulatedto 80 lbs. per sq. inch. A part of the regulated air is then passed vialine 103 to valve switches S1, S3, S4, S5, S6, S8 and S9 and to adiagram amplifier 111. A second part of the flow of regulated air ispassed through a lubricator 104 since lubricated air is required for theworking of control valves in the pneumatic circuit and for the cylinderswhich they operate. To reduce the demand on the lubricator, whichincludes a 9 inch feed cylinder (not shown), the remainder of theregulated air flow is taken round a bypass loop 105 which is connectedacross the lubricator. Lubricated air is then fed to a control valve Avia line 106, to a control valve B via line 107 and to control valves D,E and F via line 108.

FIG. 9 shows the pneumatic circuit required for operating the cartridgefeed mechanism at the cartridge labelling station. When the machine isinoperative, the piston 43 of cylinder CD, which is the cartridge feedcylinder, is extended, and the piston 50 of cylinder CE, the cylinderwhich rotates the cartridge holder is retracted i.e. the cartridgeholder is in the horizontal position (see FIG. 4). When an on/off switch109 is operated to close the valve switch S8, unlubricated an at apressure of 80 pounds per square inch is fed through a flow controlvalve FCVI to a valve switch S7 which has been closed by the extendedpiston 43 of cylinder CD. The air is then passed by the closed switch S7to the sensor 44, and, when a cartridge is in position 42 (see FIG. 4)the back pressure sensed by the sensor 44 is transmitted via line 110 tothe diaphragm amplifier 111, is amplified and fed via lines 112 and 1 13to port a of the control valve E. Port C of the control valve E thenopens, sending pressurized air along line 114 to the cylinder CE causingthe piston 50 to be extended, and raising the cartridge holder to thevertical position as seen in FIG. 5.

When piston 50 is fully extended, a flange 115 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) onthe piston closes the valve switch S6. Air is then applied by the switchS6 via lines 116 and 117 and via a flow control valve FCV2 to thecylinder 36 which controls the butterfly valve 34 (see FIG. 3) aspreviously described. When air is applied to the cylinder 36 its pistonextends causing the butterfly valve 34 to close the exhaust pipe 35. Atthe same time air is fed through lines 1 l6 and 118 to pilot b of thecontrol valve D, port d of control valve D then opens to feed air vialine 119 to the cylinder CD, retracting the piston 43 whilst openingswitch S7 and cutting off the air supply to the sensor. The catridgeWaiting in position 42 (see FIG. 5) then falls into position 54 when thepiston 43 is fully retracted. The cartridge feed mechanism is now in aposition where a label can be applied to a cartridge in the verticallylocated cartridge holder as hereinbefore described.

At the same time as the diaphragm amplifier feeds the amplified backpressure via lines 112 and 113 to pilot a of control valve E, it feedsair via lines 1 l2 and 120 to pilot a of control valve F, producing arotor start signal to be transmitted to valve S2 from port d of controlP via line 121, thus initiating a 90 rotation of the rotor assembly ashereinafter described. Thus the rotor assembly is rotated to positionthe holder 5 or 6 over the cartridge feed station as the cartridgeholder 46 is raised to the vertical position.

Once a label has been applied to the cartridge within the holder, andthe rotor is again rotating towards the label feed station, the valveswitch S4 (see FIG. 1) is closed by the respective arm 3 and 4 of therotor. The closing of the switch S4 causes air to be fed via line 122 topilot b of control valve E, opening port d of control valve E to supplyair via line 123 to the cylinder CE. This retracts piston 50 allowingswitch S6 to open, and lowering the cartridge holder to the horizontalposition. Once the holder is horizontal and the retraction of piston 50is complete, the flange 115 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) closes the switch S5applying air pressure via line 124 to pilot a of control valve D. Port cof control valve D then opens applying air pressure via line 125 tocylinder CD causing piston 43 to be extended whilst closing switch S7again and restarting the cycle. The extension of piston 43 pushes thecartridge in position 54 (see FIG. 5) into the holder, which results inthe labelled cartridge within the holder being ejected between therollers 56 and 57 as previously described.

FIG. 8 shows the pneumatic circuit which controls the rotation of therotor assembly. In the inoperative condition, of the machine, the rotoris orientated so that one of the holders 5 or 6 is located above thelabel feed mechanism, the rotor being in the up position. (see FIG. 4),so that the valve switch S2 is closed as previously described. When therotor start signal is received via line 121 from port of control valve Fin the cartridge feed circuit of FIG. 9, pressure is applied via line130 to pilot a of control valve A. Port 0 of control valve A then feedsa signal through line 131, a flow control valve FCVS and line 132 tocylinder CA causing the piston 83 to be extended thus turning the rotorthrough 90 as hereinbefore described. At the same time a signal isapplied through line 134 and .tlow control valve FCV6 to pilot b ofcontrol valve B to reset control valve B. This causes the lift cylinderCB to be exhausted through line 135, flow control valve FCV7 an port cof control valve B.

When the b 90 rotation of the rotor is complete, the shaft of the rotordrops through a short distance, preferably about 1 inch, to deposit alabel held by one of the holders or 6 on to the cartridge held in thecartridge holder which at this point is in the vertical position, and toactivate the adhesive on the label held by the other holder 5 or 6 whichis at this point located above the heater box. The dropping of the shaft2 closes the switch S3, which applies a signal via line 136 to pilot bof control valve A which resets control valve A. The cylinder CA isexhausted to atmosphere via lines 132 and 131, ports c and d of controlvalve A, and thence via lines 139 and 140 to a dwell time control 138.The time taken for the piston 83 of cylinder CA to retract is governedby the dwell time control 138. When the retraction of piston 83 iscompleted, switch S1 is closed as hereinbefore described, causingpressure to be applied via line 141 to pilot a of control valve B,causing pressure to be applied via line 135 and flow control valve FCV7to lift cylinder CB thus extending piston 74, and raising the rotorassembly. Once the shaft on the rotor assembly is fully raised, switchS2 is again closed and the cycle is repeated for the second 90 swing,since the closure of switch S2 sends a signal via line 130 to controlvalve A for the second 90 swing to commence. During the second 90 swing,S4 is closed by arm 3 or 4, sending a signal to port b of valves E and Fvia line 122. Valve F then cuts off the air supply to S2 and opens lineto atmosphere via ports e and 0, thus by passing the dwell time control138, and reducing the time taken for exhausting cylinder CA during thesecond 90 swing.

In order that the acceleration and deceleration of the rotationalmovement of the rotor caused by piston 83 of cylinder CA is fast andsmooth, the cylinders CA and CS are arranged so that they work inopposition as previously described. Thus as the piston 83 of cylinder CAis extended and approaches the end of its stroke, the piston 84 ofcylinder CS is forced to retract. This causes air to be exhausted fromcylinder CS via line 133, a part of this flow passing into cylinder CAto smooth down the extension of piston 83. The remainder of the flowfrom cylinder CS is passed through line 137 to port d of the controlvalve A, through the valve to port f of control valve A, and via line142, to the switch S10 which has a muffler valve 143. In addition theswitch S10 is provided with a small orifice 144 at its input throughwhich air can be exhausted. During the initial accelerating period i.e.the initial extension of piston 83, the switch S10 is closed allowingair to be exhausted through the muffler valve 143. Thus the pressure inline 133 is relatively low, allowing fast acceleration of piston 83.However as the piston 83 reaches the end of its extension, and the rotorapproaches the end of its 90 swing, the switch S10 is opened, aspreviously described, cutting the muffler valve 143 out of the circuitand leaving only the small orifice 144 as an exhaust port for the air.This raises the pressure in line 133 and thus slows down the rate atwhich the piston 83 may extend, decelerating the rotation of the rotorby effectively cushioning the swing of the lever 78 (see FIG. 7) andallowing the rotor to drop without the lever 78 over-shooting.Adjustment of muffler valve 143 and orifice 144 allows for variations inthe rate of acceleration and deceleration of the rotor assembly.

Exhaust air taken from ports e and f of both control valves D and E (seeFIG. 9) via lines 146, 147, 148 and 149 respectively is coupled in acommon line 150 and passed through a second filter 151 to remove anytrace of lubricant. Air free from lubricant is taken from the top of thefilter 151 and fed via line 152 to the air jet 20 which separates thetop label from the rest of the stack in the label feed mechanism (seeFIG. 2). A restricted parallel output is allowed to pass to atmospherethrough line 153 and a silencer 154. The amount of air which is allowedto pass into the silencer is controlled by a valve 155 which is locatedin line 153. Lubricated exhaust air is taken from the bottom of thefilter 151 and passed via line 156 into an oil reservoir 157 so as topump oil up pipe 158 (see also FIG. 6) in order to lubricate the rotormechanism. Oil is able to return to the oil reservoir via a return pipe159. The pressure of the air in line 156 is monitored by a safety valve160 which is located at the entrance of line 156 into the reservoir.

The operation of the machine may be varied in several aspects by theadjustment of the flow control valves and muffler valves provided. Inparticular, the

provision of flow control valves FCV4 and FCV3 in exhaust lines 149 and148 respectively of control valve E enable the rate of raising andlowering of the cartridge holder respectively, to be adjusted.

The point in the cycle at which the rotor assembly drops is controlledby suitable adjustment of flow control valves FCVS and FCV6, the rate atwhich it drops being controlled by a muffier valve 161 on the liftcylinder CB, and the rate at which it is raised being controlled by theflow control valve FCV7 and a muffler valve 162 on port e of controlvalve B.

We claim: 1. A method of labelling slab-like objects, which have anarrow face and two opposite broad faces adjacent thereto, comprisingthe steps of:

moving a first holder to a first operating station to pick up a labelhaving inactivated adhesive on one side thereof from a stack by means ofsuction;

moving the first holder and the label which is held thereby to a secondoperating station;

activating the adhesive on the one side of the label while the firstholder and label are at the second operating station;

moving the first holder and activated label which is held thereby to athird operation station;

feeding a slab-like object to be labelled in a direction parallel tosaid opposite broad faces thereof into a second holder at the thirdoperating station when the second holder is in a first position;

pivoting the second holder and the object to be labelled containedtherein about a relatively fixed pivot point through a predeterminedangle from said first position into a second position in which the saidnarrow face of the object to be labelled is adjacent the activated sideof the label contained in the first holder when the first holder reachesthe third operation station;

causing the label to adhere to the said narrow face of a slab-likeobject to be held by the second holder adjacent the label in the firstholder at the third operating station by relative movement between thefirst and second holders;

returning the first holder to the first operating station to pick upanother label; and,

pivoting the second holder and the slab-like object which is containedwithin the second holder and has the label attached to said narrow facethereof back to the first position so as to receive another object to belabelled as the labelled object is ejected from the second holderthrough a resilient gate which causes the ends of the label to adhere tothe said two opposite broad faces of the object which are adjacent thesaid narrow face.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first holder iscyclically moved in a circular path from one operating station toanother and is lowered at each station before each operation and raisedafter each operation before being moved to the next station.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adhesive on the label isactivated by heating the label at the second station.

4. A labelling machine for use in labelling slab-like objects, whichhave a narrow face and two opposite broad faces adjacent thereto,comprising:

a first holder including means for holding an adhesive label by suction;

at least three operating stations;

means for cyclically moving the first holder in steps past said threeoperating stations in turn;

the first of said three operating stations having means first holderwhen the first holder is at the first operating station;

the second of said three operating stations having means for activatingthe adhesive on the one side of a label held by suction in the firstholder when the first holder is at said second operating station;

the third of said three operating stations including means forpresenting the narrow face of the slablike object to be labelled to anadhesively activated.

label in the first holder when the first holder reaches the thirdoperating station;

said presenting means comprising a feeding mechanism and a second holderwhich is pivotable through a predetermined angle about a relativelyfixed pivot point between a first position in which the slab-likeobjects to be labelled are fed, one at a time, in a direction parallelto said opposite broad faces thereof into the second holder by thefeeding mechanism, and a second position in which the said narrow faceof the object to be labelled held therein is presented to the adhesivelyactivated label held in the first holder when the first holder reachesthe third operating station, and means for pivoting said second holderand said object contained therein about said fixed pivot point betweensaid first and second positions;

means for causing the activated label to adhere to the said narrow faceof the object presented thereto at the third operating station;

said last means comprising means for moving the first holder and thesecond holder relatively towards one another when the first holder is atsaid third operating station and the second holder is in said secondposition so as to cause the activated label held by the first holder toadhere to said narrow face of the object in the second holder;

a resilient gate; and,

said feeding mechanism being arranged to eject an object having a labelattached to the narrow face thereof from the second holder, when saidsecond holder returns to its first position through said predeterminedangle, through said resilient gate to cause the ends of the label toadhere to the said two opposite broad faces adjacent the said narrowface of said object.

5. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein:

the first holder is carried at one end of an arm which is rotatable insteps about an axis at right angles to the length of the arm; and,

said means for relatively moving the first and second holders comprisesmeans for moving the first holder and the arm together along said axis.

6. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4,

wherein:

at least two first holders are provided, each carried at one end of arespective arm,

each of said arms being mounted at the other end thereof on a commonshaft for rotation therewith in a manner so that the first holders liein a common plane orientated at right angles to the axis of the shaft;

said means for cyclically moving the first holder including means forrotating the shaft about its axis in steps to bring each first holder toeach operating station in turn, and,

said means for relatively moving the first and second holders comprisingmeans for moving said first holders, said arms and said shaft togetheralong the axis of said shaft.

7. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the resilientgrade comprises a pair of parallel resiliently mounted rollers.

8. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means foractivating adhesive on the one side of a label comprises heater meansincluding a radiant heating element and means for directing a blast ofair past the heater means towards said one side of a label in the firstholder when the first holder is at said second oper ating station.

9. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein operation of eachoperating station.

1. A METHOD OF LABELLING SLAB-LIKE OBJECTS, WHICH HAVE A NARROW FACE ANDTWO OPPOSITE BROAD FACES ADJACENT THERETO, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF:MOVING A FIRST HOLDER TO A FIRST OPERATING STATION TO PICK UP A LABELHAVING INACTIVATED ADHESIVE ON ONE SIDE THEREOF FROM A STACK BY MEANS OFSUCTION, MOVING THE FIRST HOLDER AND THE LABEL WHICH IS HELD THEREBY TOA SECOND OPERATING STATION ACTIVATING THE ADHENSIVE ON THE ONE SIDE OFTHE LABERL WHILE THE FIRST HOLDER AND LABEL ARE AT THE SECOND OPENINGSTATION, MOVING THE FIRST HOLDER AND ACTIVATED LABER WHICH IS HELDTHEREBY TO A THIRD OPERATION STATION, FEEDING A SLAB-LIKE OBJECT TO BELABELLED IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID OPPOSITE BROAD FACES THEREOFFINTO A SECOND HOLDER AT THE THIRD OPERATING STATION WHEN THE SECONDHOLDER IS IN A FIRST POSITION, PIVOTING THE SECOND HOLDER AND THE OBJECTTO BE LABELLED CONTAINED THEREIN ABOUT A RELETAVELY FIXED PIVOT POINTTHROUGH A PRETERMINED ANGLE FROM SAID FIRST POSITION INTO A SECONDPOSITION IN WHICH THE SAID NARROW FACE OF THE OBJECT TO BE LABELLED ISADJACENT THE ACTIVATED SIDE OF THE LABEL CONTAINED IN THE FIRST HOLDERWHEN THE FIRST HOLDER REACHES THE THIRD OPERATION STATION,
 2. A methodas claimed in claim 1, wherein the first holder is cyclically moved in acircular path from one operating station to another and is lowered ateach station before each operation and raised after each operationbefore being moved to the next station.
 3. A method as claimed in claim1 wherein the adhesive on the label is activated by heating the label atthe second station.
 4. A labelling machine for use in labellingslab-like objects, which have a narrow face and two opposite broad facesadjacent thereto, comprising: a first holder including means for holdingan adhesive label by suction; at least three operating stations; meansfor cyclically moving the first holder in steps past said threeoperating stations in turn; the first of said three operating stationshaving means for supporting a stack of adhesive labels which haveinactivated adhesive on one side thereof and which are picked up bysuction one at a time by the first holder when the first holder is atthe first operating station; the second of said three operating stationshaving means for activating the adhesive on the one side of a label heldby suction in the first holder when the first holder is at said secondoperating station; the third of said three operating stations includingmeans for presenting the narrow face of the slab-like object to belabelled to an adhesively activated label in the first holder when thefirst holder reaches the third operating station; said presenting meanscomprising a feeding mechanism and a second holder which is pivotablethrough a predetermined angle about a relatively fixed pivot pointbetween a first position in which the slab-like objects to be labelledare fed, one at a time, in a direction parallel to said opposite broadfaces thereof into the second holder by the feeding mechanism, and asecond position in which the said narrow face of the object to belabelled held therein is presented to the adhesively activated labelheld in the first holder when the first holder reaches the thirdoperating station, and means for pivoting said second holder and saidobject contained therein about said fixed pivot point between said firstand second positions; means for causing the activated label to adhere tothe said narrow face of the object presented thereto at the thirdoperating station; said last means comprising means for moving the firstholder and the second holder relatively towards one another when thefirst holder is at said third operating station and the second holder isin said second position so as to cause the activated label held by thefirst holder to adhere to said narrow face of the object in the secondholder; a resilient gate; and, said feeding mechanism being arranged toeject an object having a label attached to the narrow face thereof fromthe second holder, when said second holder returns to its first positionthrough said predetermined angle, through said resilient gate to causethe ends of the label to adhere to the said two opposite broad facesadjacent the said narrow face of said object.
 5. A labelling machine asclaimed in claim 4 wherein: the first holder is carried at one end of anarm which is rotatable in steps about an axis at right angles to thelength of the arm; and, said means for relatively moving the first andsecond holders comprises means for moving the first holder and the armtogether along said axis.
 6. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4,wherein: at least two first holders are provided, each carried at oneend of a respective arm, each of said arms being mounted at the otherend thereof on a common shaft for rotation therewith in a manner so thatthe first holders lie in a common plane orientated at right angles tothe axis of the shaft; said means for cyclically moving the first holderincluding means for rotating the shaft about its axis in steps to bringeach first holder to each operating station in turn, and, said means forrelatively moving the first and second holders comprising means formoving said first holders, said arms and said shaft together along theaxis of said shaft.
 7. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4,wherein the resilient grade comprises a pair of parallel resilientlymounted rollers.
 8. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, whereinthe means for activating adhesive on the one side of a label comprisesheater means including a radiant heating element and means for directinga blast of air past the heater means towards said one side of a label inthe first holder when the first holder is at said second operatingstation.
 9. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein saidheater means includes a second radiant heating element arranged for finetemperature control.
 10. A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4,wherein a sensor is provided at the third operating station for sensingthe presence of a slab-like object at the input of the feeding mechanismso as to initate a labelling cycle.
 11. A labelling machine as claimedin claim 4, wherein pneumatic circuitry is provided to controlautomatically the movement of the first holder and the operation of eachoperating station.